Waste in Guatemala and Honduras

Escuintla, Guatemala has a open trash dump with a community attached to it. The biggest problem for this community is the torrential rains that flood the area. The flooding mixes the trash with the wells and clean water for drinking. This leads to many illnesses and not everyone there can afford to buy filtered water from outside the village.

Zone 3, GuatemalaCity has a huge semi regulated dumpsite located next to a high cliff. There are thousands of people working there. At the top of this cliff is a cemetery. Children are not allowed at this dumpsites and this rule is enforced. When there are heavy rains, it creates mudslides where parts of the cemetery will fall down into the dump. People will scavenge the tombs in search for jewelry, but it is very dangerous. A river also runs through the garbage and the stability of the trash is uncertain. There have been many cases of people falling into the trash and dying. There have even been cases of trucks falling in too and the entire truck is buried in trash including the driver. The river carries the trash for many miles and through many towns before it passes it's contamination into the ocean.

Chinautla, Guatemala is a town that is a 30 minutes drive from Zone 3. the river from Zone 3 passes through here and you can see all the garbage passing through. People in this area risk their lives to recycle the garbage. Times of high rains here can drown people, swallow families houses and the stench is unbearable.

San Pedro Sula, Honduras' dumpsite is controlled by the notorious gang, Mara Salvatrucha (M-13). The M-13 offer the highest price for the materials from the informal workers. They do this to have control of the local economy, the land and the community.